Protect Public's Health

Published: Tuesday, February 27, 2001

Many people object to the smoking ban because they oppose governmental intervention in private enterprise. However, a popular segment on the television news reports the findings of city health inspectors regarding critical violations in Lubbock restaurants. I've heard no protests calling for the elimination of these inspections.

It seems that both smokers and non-smokers alike approve of governmental regulation when it serves to protect the public against harm.

Does a restaurant have the right to serve food that has been improperly refrigerated, undercooked, or infested by insects? Why then should it be permitted to allow toxic smoke to pollute the air we breathe?

Secondhand smoke is a health issue. If the smell of smoke were merely unpleasant, government should not have a right to the ban.

However, smokers fail to appreciate this health risk. If a smoker is not concerned for his or her own lungs, why would he or she be concerned for the lungs of others?